Mary was a young virgin from a poor and common family in an arranged relationship with Joseph, a carpenter or a stonemason. They would have barely known one another, and they were engaged to be married. The angel of the Lord told Mary she would bear a son called Jesus who would be the Son of the Highest. Mary accepted the will of God.

Can you see the mess? She was a virgin that had become pregnant, and everyone would think she was a harlot. What would Joseph think and do? Joseph decided he would not tell anyone what was going on, and he would let Mary slip away privately to have this child because he knew they would stone her to death. As he pondered, an angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. While this admonition comforted Joseph, it did not fix all the mess nor stop folks from talking. He was still going to marry a woman pregnant with a child that was not his.

Caesar Augustus, ruler over the most powerful empire the world has ever known, decided it was time for a census. He has two purposes for this census. First, to count the people to correctly apportion taxes. More than likely, Joseph’s taxes would increase. Second, to count the number of young, able-bodied men who can be forcefully drafted into military service. Joseph is likely about the be counted as one who could serve in a Roman legion. Joseph wasn’t rich; he probably barely eked out an existence as a simple carpenter, so they wouldn’t have been able to easily afford a tax hike. And then imagine Mary’s worry, fear even, that Joseph would be pressed into military service. This census threatens their lives. The mess is getting worse it seems.

They have no choice but to comply with the census. So, they dutifully return to Bethlehem, the ancestral town of Joseph, to record themselves as required. This trip was no joke. If you’ve been nine-months pregnant, imagine riding on a donkey along a bumpy road for miles on end. Traveling back then was hard, it was fraught with dangers of being robbed while alone, it was dirty as the dust kicked up on you and everything you owned; traveling was a nightmare. Traveling was a mess. According to an article in the LA Times by James Strange, “Mary and Joseph had to travel 90 miles to the city of Joseph’s ancestors: south along the flatlands of the Jordan River, then west over the hills surrounding Jerusalem, and on into Bethlehem. It was a fairly grueling trip.” Strange annually leads an excavation team at the ancient city of Sepphoris, near Nazareth.

When they reach Jerusalem, they’re tired, they’re weary, they’re worn, they’re exhausted and ready to rest, but there’s no rest for them. Luke says simply, “there was no room at the inn.” All they could find was a manger, perhaps a cave on a hillside. God had not made this journey an easy one, and the King of all Kings was going to be born in a place where animals were fed and stored. Can you see what I mean now? This entire story is a mess. It was full of difficulties.

Then of all the people the Lord could have invited to this birth, he invited a group of nomadic men called shepherds! Society viewed these men as outcasts and wretches. They were tending their sheep when out of nowhere, they got an angelic invitation to the birth of a King. They went with haste and found the baby lying in a manger wrapped in the burial garments of Joseph. Yes, you read that right! Swaddling clothes were strips of cloth that Joseph carried with him on his journey in case he was to die. In fact, the angels said that the swaddling clothes would be a sign for the shepherds to know they had the right baby. How prophetic! Jesus was born to die!

Everything about Jesus’s birth is an absolute mess. Then when you think things can’t get worse, King Herod had all children from the age of 2 and under killed as he tried to rid the world of the Messiah that in his mind, threatened his very existence. Can you imagine the weeping and wailing as soldiers destroyed all these children? What a nightmare! You would start to wonder how anything good could come out of this story, but that is exactly what happened. Out of this mess came order. The Lord put the world back in order by allowing his perfect Son to die for all humanity!

If your life is a mess right this minute, you can rest in knowing that out of messes, God creates a message. Out of tests come testimonies! For some of us, our health is a mess: something we’re actively managing, trying to create order, trying to bring it into line, but so often, bringing order to our health seems impossible. For some of us, our finances are a mess, something we try to hide and manage ourselves. We’re intent on keeping up appearances, buying things we shouldn’t, doing things we shouldn’t, so that we can keep up appearances. But, the reality remains, our finances are a mess. For some of us, our families are a mess. We have relatives who seem to despise us and want constant drama. We also have relatives who worry us constantly by making wrong choices. For some of us, we’re a mess on the inside, just trying to keep it all together. Our emotions seem to control us and we are filled with anxiety. We try to put on a happy face. For many of us, we are a spiritual mess. Our relationship with Jesus is nonexistent or barely there and we follow from a distance. We know that we lack when it comes to the things of God.

If we’re honest, we know our lives are messy. I want to let each of you know that what God wants from you for Christmas is your mess. Give him your struggles, anxiety, worries, troubles, cares, and burdens and allow him to take your mess and give you a message that you can tell on the mountain! A message of hope, peace, and love that the entire world needs to hear! I close with what David said is Psalm 40:17 in the Message, “17 And me? I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing: make something of me. You can do it; you’ve got what it takes – but God, don’t put it off.” Let’s ask God to do the same! I would like to personally wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

(The Solution Column is provided by Pastor Brandon Young of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church, Hampton, and his associate, Rev. David Odom.)